Honolulu, HI, USA
N61384
PIPER PA-31-350
The pilot reported that he was taxing to the runway when his airplane collided with an unoccupied, parked airplane. A witness observed the accident and approached the pilot shortly after the collision to render aid. He queried the pilot as to what had happened. The pilot stated that he was not paying attention and was occupied with adjusting radios and instruments. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident site reported that the airplane left two skid marks, which appeared to be a result of hard braking.
On April 04, 2010, about 1015 Hawaiian standard time, a Piper PA-31-350, N61384, taxied into a parked airplane at the Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii. Pacific Air Charters was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The cross-country flight was taxiing to the departure runway for a planned destination of Lihue, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. In a telephone conversation, the pilot reported that he was taxiing to runway 04R when his airplane collided with an occupied, parked Cessna airplane. A witness, who was additionally a pilot, reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that he observed the Piper taxi into a parked Cessna. The pilot exited the airplane and was visibly shaken. He asked the pilot what happened and the pilot responded by saying that he was just not "paying attention and was occupied with adjusting radios and instruments." The Federal Aviation Administration inspector from the Honolulu Flight Standards District Office who responded to the accident site stated that the airplane left two skid marks, which appeared to be a result of hard braking. The right skid mark measured 118 inches and the left was 72 inches. A routine aviation weather report (METAR) for the Honolulu International Airport was issued at 0953. It stated: winds from 060 degrees at 13 knots, with a note that peak wind at 0940 was 050 degrees at 29 knots. In a written statement provided by the Chief Pilot for the operator, he stated that the pilot was taxiing from refueling to a hangar area. During taxi, the airplane encountered a gust of wind channeling between hangars and the pilot lost directional control. The airplane veered left into a parked airplane. He noted that the taxiway surface was wet from a light rain.
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a parked airplane during taxi due to his inadequate visual lookout.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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